scholarly journals PLANNING INNOVATIONS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS: A REVIEW OF MODERN SOFTWARE PRODUCTS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inna Koblianska ◽  
Olha Kovalova
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Service Unit ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Business Structures

The article emphasizes the importance of taking into account and evaluating the environmental aspects of goods, services, and solutions (technological, organizational and marketing nature), when planning innovations in the enterprise. The aim of the article is to characterize the possibilities of use and functionality of modern software developed to assess the environmental aspects of innovation during the development of plans for innovation projects and investment proposals. Within the research framework, the main indicators that can be used to assess the environmental friendliness of innovations are described, in particular: water footprint, land footprint, material input per service unit, carbon footprint. The article provides a detailed review of software (foreign and domestic developments) that can be used to automate the process of assessing the environmental aspects of innovative projects and business in general: outlines the functionality (detailing indicators for evaluation) and features of use, indicates the possibility of software use for planning. The foreign developments explored provide an assessment of the environmental impact throughout the life cycle and, as a rule, can be applied to various industries. Almost all the software presented provides a carbon footprint assessment and is suitable for eco-design purposes. In addition to directly assessing the environmental impact, many tools provide an opportunity to assess the costs associated with the environmental impact along the life cycle or with the material / energy flows. Domestic developments are mainly of a marketing nature (aimed at attracting new customers rather than assessing environmental aspects). For the most part, the functionality of these developments is related to energy efficiency issues. No domestic software provides a comprehensive environmental impact assessment throughout the life cycle. However, there is the wide range of available (in terms of conditions of use and functionality) foreign software tools for assessing the environmental aspects of innovation, which can be used to plan and develop investment proposals by domestic business structures.

Life cycle assessment of organic Parmesan Cheese considering the whole dairy supply chain

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Borghesi ◽  
Giuseppe Vignali
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Parmesan Cheese

Agriculture and food manufacturing have a considerable effect on the environment emissions: holdings and farms play an important role about greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. This study aims at evaluating the environmental impact of one of the most important Italian DOP product: organic Parmesan Cheese. Environmental performances of the whole dairy supply chain have been assessed according to the life cycle assessment approach (LCA). In this analysis Parmesan Cheese is made from an organic dairy farm in Emilia Romagna, which uses the milk from three different organic livestock productions. Organic agriculture is different from conventional; the major difference is represented by the avoidance of the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides made in chemical industry process. Organic agriculture uses organic fertilizers to encourage the natural fertility of the soil respecting the environment and the agro-system. In this case, life cycle approach is used to assess the carbon footprint and the water footprint of organic Parmesan Cheese considering the milk and cheese production. The object at this level is investigating the environmental impact considering the situation before some improvement changes. The functional unit is represented by 1 kg of organic Parmesan Cheese; inventory data refer to the situation in year 2017 and system boundaries consider the inputs related to the cattle and dairy farm until the ripening (included). The carbon footprint is investigated using IPCC 2013 Global Warming Potential (GWP) 100a method, developed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and reported in kg of CO2eq. Otherwise, water footprint allows to measure the water consumption and in this work it is assessed using AWARE method (Available Water REmaining).

scholarly journals An Investigation into the Environmental Impact of Product Recovery Methods to Support Sustainable Manufacturing within Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

2012 ◽  
pp. 73-90
Author(s):  
Michaela R. Appleby ◽  
Chris G. Lambert ◽  
Allan E. W. Rennie ◽  
Adam B. Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Sustainable Manufacturing ◽  
Product Recovery ◽  
Waste Hierarchy ◽  
Government Legislation ◽  
Lower Carbon ◽  
Recovery Methods

The effects of climate change and government legislation has changed the way in which manufacturers can dispose of their waste, encouraging SMEs to source alternative disposal methods such as those indicated in the waste hierarchy. It is economically and environmentally beneficial to use product recovery methods to divert waste from landfill. The environmental impact of two product recovery methods, remanufacturing and repairing, has been compared via a carbon footprint calculation for a UK-based SME. The calculation has identified that repairing has a lower carbon footprint than remanufacturing, however this only extends the original life-cycle of the product, whereas remanufacturing provides a new life-cycle and warranty, and therefore seen as the most preferable method of product recovery to support sustainable manufacturing.

scholarly journals Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint of Electric Vehicles and Batteries Charging in View of Various Sources of Power Supply in the Czech Republic

Environments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Jursova ◽  
Dorota Burchart-Korol ◽  
Pavlina Pustejovska
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Hard Coal ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Main Determinant

In the light of recent developments regarding electric vehicle market share, we assess the carbon footprint and water footprint of electric vehicles and provide a comparative analysis of energy use from the grid to charge electric vehicle batteries in the Czech Republic. The analysis builds on the electricity generation forecast for the Czech Republic for 2015–2050. The impact of different sources of electricity supply on carbon and water footprints were analyzed based on electricity generation by source for the period. Within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the carbon footprint was calculated using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, while the water footprint was determined by the Water Scarcity method. The computational LCA model was provided by the SimaPro v. 8.5 package with the Ecoinvent v. 3 database. The functional unit of study was running an electric vehicle over 100 km. The system boundary covered an electric vehicle life cycle from cradle to grave. For the analysis, we chose a vehicle powered by a lithium-ion battery with assumed consumption 19.9 kWh/100 km. The results show that electricity generated to charge electric vehicle batteries is the main determinant of carbon and water footprints related to electric vehicles in the Czech Republic. Another important factor is passenger car production. Nuclear power is the main determinant of the water footprint for the current and future electric vehicle charging, while, currently, lignite and hard coal are the main determinants of carbon footprint.

scholarly journals Long-Term Water Footprint Assessment in a Rainfed Olive Tree Grove in the Umbria Region, Italy

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Luca Rossi ◽  
Luca Regni ◽  
Sara Rinaldi ◽  
Paolo Sdringola ◽  
Roberto Calisti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Agricultural Water Use ◽  
Umbria Region

Life Cycle Assessment (the systematic analysis of the environmental impact of products during their entire life cycle), Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint assessments play an important role in decision-making processes. These assessments can help guide land management decisions and will likely play a larger role in the future, especially in natural areas with high biodiversity. Agriculture is a substantial consumer of fresh water, so it is important to identify causes and possible solutions to optimize agricultural water use. Water footprint assessments consider water consumption from several points of view and aid in reaching Sustainable Development Goals. Olive trees are a widespread agricultural crop growing in the Mediterranean Basin and are particularly important in the Umbria region in Italy. This paper estimates the water footprint impact related to the production of 1 kg of olives in a rainfed olive orchard managed using low environmental impact techniques. Eleven years of data collection (meteorological data, olives yield data, processes data) are analyzed for typical rural conditions. The results show that local management techniques have lower water requirements than standard international usages. These results can be used to improve and to further explore agricultural water use.

scholarly journals Environmental impact and life cycle financial cost of hybrid (reusable/single-use) instruments versus single-use equivalents in laparoscopic cholecystectomy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantelle Rizan ◽  
Mahmood F. Bhutta
Keyword(s):  
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Financial Cost ◽  
Laparoscopic Instruments ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Hybrid Instruments

Abstract Background Hybrid surgical instruments contain both single-use and reusable components, potentially bringing together advantages from both approaches. The environmental and financial costs of such instruments have not previously been evaluated. Methods We used Life Cycle Assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of hybrid laparoscopic clip appliers, scissors, and ports used for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, comparing these with single-use equivalents. We modelled this using SimaPro and ReCiPe midpoint and endpoint methods to determine 18 midpoint environmental impacts including the carbon footprint, and three aggregated endpoint impacts. We also conducted life cycle cost analysis of products, taking into account unit cost, decontamination, and disposal costs. Results The environmental impact of using hybrid instruments for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy was lower than single-use equivalents across 17 midpoint environmental impacts, with mean average reductions of 60%. The carbon footprint of using hybrid versions of all three instruments was around one-quarter of single-use equivalents (1756 g vs 7194 g CO2e per operation) and saved an estimated 1.13 e−5 DALYs (disability adjusted life years, 74% reduction), 2.37 e−8 species.year (loss of local species per year, 76% reduction), and US $ 0.6 in impact on resource depletion (78% reduction). Scenario modelling indicated that environmental performance of hybrid instruments was better even if there was low number of reuses of instruments, decontamination with separate packaging of certain instruments, decontamination using fossil-fuel-rich energy sources, or changing carbon intensity of instrument transportation. Total financial cost of using a combination of hybrid laparoscopic instruments was less than half that of single-use equivalents (GBP £131 vs £282). Conclusion Adoption of hybrid laparoscopic instruments could play an important role in meeting carbon reduction targets for surgery and also save money.

scholarly journals An Investigation into the Environmental Impact of Product Recovery Methods to Support Sustainable Manufacturing Within Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Michaela R. Appleby ◽  
Chris G. Lambert ◽  
Allan E. W. Rennie ◽  
Adam B. Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Sustainable Manufacturing ◽  
Product Recovery ◽  
Waste Hierarchy ◽  
Government Legislation ◽  
Lower Carbon ◽  
Recovery Methods

The effects of climate change and government legislation has changed the way in which manufacturers can dispose of their waste, encouraging SMEs to source alternative disposal methods such as those indicated in the waste hierarchy. It is economically and environmentally beneficial to use product recovery methods to divert waste from landfill. The environmental impact of two product recovery methods, remanufacturing and repairing, has been compared via a carbon footprint calculation for a UK-based SME. The calculation has identified that repairing has a lower carbon footprint than remanufacturing, however this only extends the original life-cycle of the product, whereas remanufacturing provides a new life-cycle and warranty, and therefore seen as the most preferable method of product recovery to support sustainable manufacturing.

scholarly journals Carbon and water footprint of coffee consumed in Finland—life cycle assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1976-1990
Author(s):  
Kirsi Usva ◽  
Taija Sinkko ◽  
Frans Silvenius ◽  
Inkeri Riipi ◽  
Hannele Heusala
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Coffee Cultivation ◽  
Irrigation Optimization

Abstract Purpose Coffee is one of the most widely grown cash crops globally, but there are few scientific articles on its carbon footprint and water scarcity impacts. The aim of this study was to assess the carbon footprint and water scarcity impacts throughout the life cycle of the coffee chain (cradle-to-grave) and to identify the most important sources of the impacts (hotspots). Methods The system included all the key stages of the supply chain from land use change and coffee cultivation to roasting and household consumption. Primary data was collected from eight coffee cultivation farms in Brazil, Nicaragua, Colombia and Honduras and coffee roastery and packaging manufacturers in Finland. The AWARE method was applied in a water scarcity impact assessment. Results and discussion The carbon footprint varied from 0.27 to 0.70 kg CO2 eq/l coffee. The share of the coffee cultivation stage varied from 32 to 78% and the consumption stage from 19 to 49%. The use of fertilizers was the most important process contributing to the carbon footprint. Furthermore, deforestation-related emissions notably increased the carbon footprint of coffee from Nicaragua. Compared with the previous literature, our results indicate a relatively larger share of climate impacts in the cultivation stage and less during consumption. The water scarcity impact was relatively low for non-irrigated systems in Central America, 0.02 m3 eq/l coffee. On Brazilian farms, irrigation is a major contributor to the water scarcity impact, varying from 0.15 to 0.27 m3 eq/l coffee. Conclusions Improving the management practices in cultivation and fertilization is key for lower GHG emissions. Irrigation optimization is the most important mitigation strategy to reduce water scarcity impact. However, actions to reduce these two impacts should be executed side by side to avoid shifting burdens between the two.

scholarly journals An Epitome of Building Floor Systems by Means of LCA Criteria

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 5442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yovanna Elena Valencia-Barba ◽  
José Manuel Gómez-Soberón ◽  
María Consolación Gómez-Soberón ◽  
Fernando López-Gayarre
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Environmental Profile ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Floor Systems ◽  
Floor System ◽  
Homogeneous Unit

Studies of the elements that make up the structure of a building have generally focused on topics related to their physical and structural capacities. Although research has been carried out into environmental impact during the life cycle stages, the environmental profile is far from established. This research aims to reduce the gap in the knowledge of this subject, offering useful information to professionals in the construction industry, which will enable them to consider environmental aspects when choosing the best construction systems. The present study applies the methodology of the life cycle assessment (LCA), to analyze and compare four floor construction systems in two different scenarios (“A” with a functional homogeneous unit of 1 m2 and “B” with 1 m² made up of the percentages of the floor system and the special areas of the building). The analysis is performed using the LCA Manager software, along with the Ecoinvent 3.1 database and with a cradle to handover perspective (A1–A5). Comparison was made using two environmental impact methodologies, Eco-indicator 99 and CML 2001. The results highlight the stages A1–A3 as those that generate the greatest environmental impact. Comparing the environmental profiles of the different floor systems, one-way floor systems I and II had the best environmental scores, 30% less than two-way floor system III and 50% less than slab floor system IV.

Defining Key Environmental Performance Factors (KEPF) for Gas Turbines Eco-Design and Production Through Life Cycle Assessment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Musacchio ◽  
Andrea Corona ◽  
Luca Cencioni ◽  
Angela Serra ◽  
Pietro Bartocci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Design And Production

Abstract Nowadays environmental impact assessment of a new product is necessary to meet rising sustainability requirements also in the Oil & Gas and Power Generation markets, especially for industrial gas turbines. From the conceptual phase to the detailed design, engineer’s work is supported by a wide range of tools aimed to define and evaluate typical parameters such as performances, life and costs, etc. However, considering environmental impact aspects from the early stages of product development may not be easy if the involved engineers are not provided by a specific Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) knowledge. Scope of this paper is to introduce and explain the development of a methodology aimed to define and evaluate the Key Environmental Performance Factors (KEPF) during the whole design process. The proposed methodology enables easy and fast eco-design evaluations and supports sustainable design assessments. Preliminary analysis of the entire processes involved in gas turbine (GT) design and production as well as testing and commissioning phases were performed to evaluate which factors affect mostly the Carbon Footprint of each process, referred to their specific functional unit. Extrapolating the KEPF from Cradle-to-Gate LCA they can be combined with case-specific qualitative and quantitative information such as material selection, manufacturing processes, mass quantity, presence of coatings etc. to provide environmental assessments. A case study of LCA applied to a heavy-duty GT is presented to outline the relative weight of each KEPF.

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